Elite formation in the countries of Central Asia

The article deals with the peculiarities of political elite rotation in Central Asian countries, the role of patron-client relations and clans. The author analyzes the factors that can potentially affect the change of the mechanism of elite formation, such as the maturation of innovative type of elites; demographic processes, rejuvenation of the population and elites; external influences; the role of the civil sector and NGOs; the problems of imitation-image models of elite formation. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes that changes in the mechanism of elite formation in Central Asian countries are possible only under the influence of a complex of factors. However, such changes are hardly possible in the near future.